Franklin and Edwards

Paper Summary:

The paper compares and contrasts how Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards, two disparate but profoundly influential individuals, both changed the course of American history. The paper shows how Franklin immortalized himself as a pragmatist and accomplished the ideal American Dream. The paper looks at how Edwards used his knowledge and blending of Enlightenment philosophy to revitalize the religious zeal of New England.

From the Paper:

"The dawn of American enlightenment started with two of American history's greatest intellectuals, Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards. Both of these individuals were ahead of their times and utilized their profound impact on the American colonial period to change the face of the United States. They were the leaders of the American enlightenment era. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, in his lifetime he served as an inventor, publisher, writer, and statesmen and much more, many view him as the consummate perfection of the American Dream. Jonathan Edwards, another savant within the colonial era was a Congregational preacher, theologian and missionary."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chai, Leon. 1998. Jonathan Edwards and the Limits of Enlightenment Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Fiering, Norman. 1981. Jonathan Edwards's Moral Thought and Its British Context. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.
• Buxbaum, M.H., Critical Essays on Benjamin Franklin (1987)
• Lopez, Claude-Anne, and Herbert, E. W., The Private Franklin (1975)

More papers on Franklin and Edwards:

• Essay # 57073 : "Shaping the American Individual"
• Comparison Essay # 61274 : "Two Colonial Writers"
• Essay # 38619 : "A Colonial Man of Many Faces"

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